GB1064254A - Improvements in or relating toapparatus for cleaning machine parts - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:1064254/C6-C7/1> Automated apparatus for cleaning internal cavities and passages in machine parts, such as motor engine blocks and crank-shafts, by sequential treatment at several stations, comprises a conveyer such as a hydraulic walking beam type which transfers the parts successively to each station, a fixing or hold down beam at each station which positions the parts and indexes the cavities and passages in position for spraying with at least one jet nozzle at one or more of the stations, the nozzles being movable from a retracted position away from the parts during the transfer and indexing, to the spraying position. The cleaning may be effected with liquids such as water or air and the apparatus is operated in timed sequence by means of limit switches. As shown in Fig. 1 crank-shafts 25 are transferred to washing stations 21, 22, 23 by conveyer (30) Fig. 2 (not shown), the hold down beam 40, operated by cylinder 55 and rod 58, descends and indexes the crank-shafts. Manifold plates 81 actuated by cylinder 90 and rod 92 then descend to bring the jets 80 into engagement with the cavities and passages in the crank-shafts. The manifold plates are then retracted after a predetermined washing interval, the beam 40 is also retracted and the conveyer then picks up each crank-shaft and moves it to the next station. The final indexing of the crank-shafts in position for spraying with the jets is effected by means of locators (150) and (151) Fig. 9 (not shown) suspended from and carried by the manifold plate 81. As the plate descends the locators, which have a plastic coating on the contacting edges, locate the crank-shafts and correct any slight misalignment.